


The Hanging Tree

by AsagiStilinski



Series: Zine Promos [1]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Dark, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character's Name Spelled as Viktor, Character's Name Spelled as Yuri, Confident Katsuki Yuuri, Dark, Dark Magic, Established Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Established Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky, Established Relationship, Immortality, Legends, M/M, Mentions of homophobia, Resurrection, Revenge, Secret Relationship, Temporary Character Death, Urban Legends, Witch Hunts, Witch Katsuki Yuuri, Witchcraft, Witches, switching between time periods, vengeance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-23
Updated: 2019-11-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 02:13:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21529849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsagiStilinski/pseuds/AsagiStilinski
Summary: There's a story about an old apple tree in London, telling of two lovers who used to meet beneath it, until one night when one of them was accused of witchcraft, and hanged to death in that very treeBut that's far from the end of the story, legend has it that the dead man's lover reallywasa witch, and that after reviving him, the two became guardians of others who were being persecuted just for being who they areYuri Plisetsky stands under that tree now, with a lover he could very well be killed for having, and puts the legend to the test-Written as a promo for the "Dreadfully Yours" zine-
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Otabek Altin/Yuri Plisetsky
Series: Zine Promos [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1551694
Comments: 8
Kudos: 169





	The Hanging Tree

**Author's Note:**

> This was written as a promo peice for the Yuri On Ice Penny Dreadful zine, applications open until December 13th!! https://yoidreadfulzine.tumblr.com/
> 
> Inspired by "The Hanging Tree"

"You seem troubled, is something wrong?"

Blinking, the blonde turned his head, shaking it slowly as he stared up at the tree in front of him

But he was lying, and they both knew it

"It's... nothing...."

_Leaves blew through the wind around them, soft smiles gracing their faces as Yuri's pale fingers moved up to stroke affectionately through Viktor's long silver hair_

_The kisses they indulged in were private, just for them, just their own_

_But there was something about sharing them beneath the tree, on this cool autumn day, that made it feel almost as though they were being watched_

_It wasn't as unsettling as it may sound though_

_"Don't you have work to get back to?" Yuri breathed, though he had no desire for Viktor to leave him any time soon_

_"Mm, no... it can wait," he promised, his fingers dragging affectionately down the apple of Yuri's cheek as he leaned down and shared another kiss with him_

_"Are you sure? Don't you have students?"_

_"Chris has been wanting to take more work on with them lately any how,"_

_"You're a terrible teacher," Yuri accused playfully, gasping and releasing a startled laugh as Vitkor suddenly flipped them so that he was laying on his back and Yuri was straddling his lap_

_Leaves wove into Viktor's hair, his face was flushed with joy and the slight chill in the air, and he looked like the perfect mess_

_"Then why don't you teach me something, hm?"_

_"Oh, are you really challenging me like that?" Yuri snickered_

_"I am," Viktor insisted, leaning up closer and taking Yuri in another affectionate kiss_

_Yuri exhaled, delighted, a shiver rushing down his spine, as an apple abruptly dropped from the branches above them_

"Well that's weird,"

"What?"

"That apple, it just... fell out of nowhere..."

The man behind him shrugged simply, watching as his blonde freind reached down and picked the apple up to examine it

"It's an apple tree Yura, it's hardly anything strange,"

Yura didn't seem too convinced though

There had been no breeze, no momentum, no motion....

How had an apple just fallen for no reason...?

_When Yuri woke, it was to the sound of screaming_

_Fear caught him like a bear trap as he hurried out of his bed and ran to the window, his worst fears coming to life as he peered outside_

_"Viktor..."_

_He didn't wait_

_He didn't linger_

_He rushed outside as quickly as possible, not even bothering with shoes or his glasses as he raced after the small gang of people who had taken his love_

_"STOP!!! STOP!!!!" Yuri screamed, barely able to get the sound out over Viktor's horrified screams as the mob pulled him away_

_Before Yuri could even get close enough to reach any of them, someone else had taken him by the arms, dragging him backwards as he shouted and pleaded for them to stop_

_His hands were bound, and when he was in such a panic, he couldn't concentrate_

_"What's going on!? Where are they taking him!?" Yuri finally shouted_

_"To be hanged," replied a gruff, unrecognizable voice from behind the brunette_

_"What?! WHY!?"_

_"He's been accused of **witchcraft** , those girls that died over the summer, he's responsible!"_

_"No... no you're wrong!! He isn't!! Viktor!! VIKTOR!!!!"_

_"Yuri!" Viktor screamed back, digging his heels into the ground, but to no avail_

_"Yuri... RUN!!" he begged tearfully_

_"Please Yuri, RUN!!! Don't... don't come for me! Don't follow! Please Yuri, RUN!!!"_

_"No.. no.... NO! Viktor!!! **VIKTOR**!!!!!!"_

"Why don't you come with me? We'll go back to the cafe` you like, we can get coffee and.... if you're in the mood for apples, we'll split a pastry?"

Try as he might, he couldn't get the blonde's attention

Rather, he just... began to walk closer and closer to the massive apple tree in front of him

"Do you know the history of this tree, Otabek?"

Chilled by his freind's tone, Otabek hurriedly shook his head, one hand grasping his upper arm as he watched Yura take a few slow steps towards the tree

"I.... I don't," he mumbled back quietly

Yura's fingers were still skimming over the apple he was holding, his attention on the tree now, not even looking at Otabek

"About two hundred years ago... there was a gay couple who lived here, they were in love... nobody knew they were together until after.... _it happened_...."

" _It_?" Otabek echoed, feeling his stomach beginning to churn

There was an indescribable pull, something trying to drag him towards the tree

He suspected it was worry for Yura

"Yeah... one of them was _hanged here_... he was accused of witchcraft and... in the middle of the night, a mob of townspeople dragged him out of his house and... strung him up here..."

"That's horrible," Otabek wispered, stepping closer, closer, as Yura finally paused in front of the tree

"Yeah, it is but.... that's not the entire story, it.... doesn't end there,"

Otabek reached out, his heart starting to race with the urge to touch, to pull him away, away from that damned tree....

_"What have you done...?"_

_He was too late_

_He was.... really too late......_

_He had fought as hard as he could have, he had run as fast as his legs would carry him, he had even--... but **still**_

_**Still** , Viktor's body hung above him, swinging..._

_"Devastated" didn't begin to describe what Yuri felt as he collapsed to the ground in screaming madness, his hands curling into the grass beneath him as he sucked in breath after breath, trying his hardest to regain some composure_

_"Do not mourn the wicked son," said one of the townspeople, cold and unfeeling_

_"He was a witch, there's no-"_

_"You're wrong!" Yuri screamed, his nails digging into the ground as his tear drops plopped down onto the blades of grass beneath him_

_"You're wrong..." he repeated slowly_

_"Viktor never hurt anyone... those girls weren't even murdered, they committed suicide and you... you **know** that...."_

_Taking a breath, then another, Yuri slowly rose to his feet, his head still bowed, eyes aligned with Viktor's bare feet, having gone stock still now, finally_

_"And you're wrong about something else too...... Viktor was never the witch,"_

_He paused, one last tear hitting the ground as he spun on his heel, his eyes burning bright_

_" **I AM** ,"_

"They say that a quarter of the town went missing that night, they never even found any corpses.... and the hanged man? The accused witch? They never found _his_ body either, or his lover's.... the noose was still there, but the body was gone,"

"Then how does anyone know this story? Isn't it just speculation?" Otabek asked quietly, finally wrapping his hand tightly around Yura's wrist

He tugged him closer, or atleast he tried to, but... Yura didn't move

He didn't budge an inch

"Oh... I said a quarter of the town went missing but... not that everyone who was there did..... there were living witnesses,"

_What happened was a blur, at first_

_The anger, the rage, the **hatred** , the pain and agony, the sorrow and indescribable **hopelessness** that filled him had taken him like a tea kettle that boiled over_

_And Yuri saw nothing but darkness_

_All of the life around him drained_

_The people around them and the lightening bugs in the air, even the grass lost it's life beneath Yuri's feet as he screamed in agony and unleashed his magic, drawing out every last drop of life that he could reach, until he held it all inside of him, like a ticking time bomb_

_If Viktor couldn't live, he reasoned, then why should they?_

_Murderers_

_Heretics_

_**Evil** _

_He let out another sob as he shakily summoned a blade to his hand, allowing himself to levitate off of the ground so he could cut the noose around his lover's neck_

_He held Viktor close as he descended to the ground and broke into a new sob, his tears falling into Viktor's long silver hair like the beautifull autumn leaves once had_

_He sniffed, stroking his fingers through those long pretty strands one last time as he prepared to end it all_

_What was left for him now?_

_He had no family, he had no lover, and he would soon be accused of witchcraft_

_He wouldn't suffer Viktor's fate though_

_No witch would ever let themselves fall low enough to let a broken neck or devouring flames be their downfall_

_Ever since the witch trials began, witches everywhere began making an unspoken pact_

_They'd rather die **any** other way than by the satisfaction of their persecutors_

_He gripped his blade tighter, a few more tears falling from his eyes as he hugged Viktor's body closer, the tears falling onto his face_

_And then, the most miraculous thing happened_

_As he rolled up his sleeve and prepared to slice the silver through his wrist, he felt something_

_Viktor twitched, just barely, just barely, but..... but it was **enough**_

_"V-Viktor...?" he breathed_

_That... that was right...._

_Yuri had... he must have devoured atleast twenty lives... not to mention the bugs and the grass...._

_He had always heard **rumors** that necromancy was possible but... he had never really thought....._

_Shaking, he stabbed the blade into the ground and gently cupped Viktor's face, another few life-filled tears dripping onto Viktor's face a he leaned down and gave him a kiss_

_It was messy and shaky, it was full of despair and emotion and **hope**_

_And Yuri prayed_

_"Please God," he begged as he twisted his fingers into Viktor's shirt_

_"Please let him live...."_

_He gave Viktor another kiss, deeper and harder, another sob leaving him as he broke away_

_"Please Goddess!" he screamed_

_"Please bring him back to me!!"_

_He took a deep breath, kissing Viktor one last time and cradling him close_

_"Please Viktor..... stay close to me....."_

_And then, like something out of a fairytale, Viktor gasped_

_His body jerked, he coughed and panted and gasped for breath, and Yuri broke into sobs anew_

_"Thank you..." he breathed, hugging Viktor closer and curling his fingers into his lover's long hair_

_"God and Goddess.... thank you...."_

_"Y-Yuri..." Viktor coughed, earning a kiss in response_

_And for a few moments, that's how they remained_

_That was where they were_

_Beneath the branches of their favorite apple tree, now forever marred with the noose that had nearly taken them away from eachother_

_As they cried, in fear and releif and... pain and in joy, they heard a twig snap in the distance_

_Yuri jerked, tears still rolling down his cheeks as he abruptly stood up, despite Viktor's protests_

_"Y-Yuri.... Yuri wait!"_

_But Yuri didn't listen_

_Instead, he just walked forward, summoning a flame to his hand_

_It had only taken half of his life force- his **stolen** life force- to bring Viktor back, the other half was fueling his magic now, making him stronger, more powerfull than ever before_

_The flame was a warm glow, hovering above his palm like a sprite as he walked towards the sound and held his hand up, staring down into the bushes... and spying five children_

_They were all curled around eachother, shaking in fear_

_Yuri wondered breifly if he had just murdered their parents, but the word "murder" left a bitter taste on his tongue_

_Those monsters were so quick to execute an innocent man under the false beleif that he had committed a murder, Yuri wasn't wrong, then, for executing **them** for the murder **they** committed_

_Carefully, quietly, he crouched down in front of them, the flame still hovering in one palm as he reached the other out towards the two, who immediately flinched away_

_Yuri wouldn't lie, that hurt worse draining the murderers had, but he didn't even feel it in comparison to the agony he'd felt when Viktor had left him_

_"Were your parents here?"_

_The two in front exchanged glances, before nodding slowly, still huddled together with eachother, the other three shook their heads_

_"Did you see what happened?"_

_Slowly, this time they all shook their heads, and given their expressions, Yuri was going to believe they were telling the truth_

_"We... heard screaming," replied the oldest quietly, her bottom lip trembling, red hair hanging in her eyes as she clung harder to the boy next to her_

_"I see," Yuri said quietly, moving to carefully neel in front of the children_

_"I am sorry- sincerely- for your sakes... I'm afraid that your parents are gone now, you see there was a great and powerfull demon that came for them, this demon.... he possessed many people, including your parents... he ate away at who they were until there was nothing left... and... I had to slay that demon, for what he did to the good people of this own, for what he did to your parents, for what he did to the person I love... if I had let him live on... they all would have died in vain and... he would have only hurt more people along the way,"_

_"What's the demon's name?" the red-headed girl asked quietly, only to earn a shake of Yuri's head in response_

_"If I speak it, it may summon him, and we don't want that, now do we?"_

_The children shook their heads again and Yuri forced a smile_

_"You two..... do you have any other relatives to care for you?"_

_The children looked down, shaking their heads miserably_

_Yuri smiled a little bit more now, a little more sincerely but more sadly as well_

_"Then... come with me? My love and I... we'll care for you and protect you, we'll make sure that the demon never possesses you like it did your parents,"_

_He paused, turning to the other three_

_"And you three.... go back to town, tell your parents and anyone else who will listen of what happened here, tell them that the missing people.... they committed a heinous crime.... tell anyone who will listen that there was no witchcraft committed.... not till they left us no choice,"_

_With that said, Yuri stood up, holding his free hand out for the children_

_The two orphans exchanged glances breifly before gently taking his hand, holding on tightly and allowing Yuri to lead them back towards Viktor, back towards the tree_

"The last thing the witnesses saw, according to legend, was the witch and his beloved walking into the forest, each holding the hand of a child,"

"Yura.... what's the point of you telling me this story?" Otabek asked quietly

Finally, Yura turned around again, his expression sullen

"I visited this place once before with my grandpa, he told me this story.... he said that.... the witch and his lover were like.... _guardians_.... they take lost children, and they protect gay couples who are being persecuted, they save witches and Pagans from facing the same fate they did, they.... they take care of people who are different.... and... if you ever need them, Grandpa said that you should just... take a bite of an apple that falls from their tree... from The Hanging Tree,"

"And you think this is that tree?" Otabek asked quietly, watching, unsettled, as Yura pointedly bit into the apple, never once taking his eyes off of Otabek

"Yeah, I do," he replied quietly, holding the apple out to Otabek

The slightly older teen hesitated, but bit into the apple anyway

He didn't believe all of this hocus pocus nonsense himself, but.... it clearly seemed important to his freind

...To his... _boyfreind_

They were in London and they were alone, they could say that now, they could let themselves have that, if only for a few moments, if only until the next day when they would have to go back to Russia and Kazakhstan

Back to having to hide who they really were, for their own protection

"Do you want to know the weirdest part?" Yura asked suddenly as he pulled the apple away from Otabek's mouth

"The name of the witch...... it was Yuri,"

With that, he dropped the apple to the ground, a cool breeze blowing through the air as leaves fell down from the trees around them

Otabek, swallowing the apple, looked up at the sky just long enough that he missed it when someone else appeared

The man was.... beautifull.... no doubt

Soft looking, with dark, slicked back hair, and pretty brown eyes, pale skin, and wearing an old time looking dress... like it was from the Victorian era or something....

He smiled warmly at them, taking a step towards them

Otabek, grabbing Yura by the arm, tried to tug him away, but to no avail

"Hello Children," the stranger said softly

Otabek wanted to protest, at fifteen and seventeen respectively, they were hardly children, but-

"You know the story of this tree, don't you?"

"We do," Yura replied quietly

The expression on the stranger's face was still warm, but it looked more bittersweet now

"You know the version that's been told by your parents and grandparents, and by their parents and grandparents, but I'm willing to bet that my version has just a few details their's was missing.... do you want to hear it?"

Otabek shook his head, but Yura spoke for them

"Yes," he breathed immediately

"Please..."

The stranger extended his hand, and Yura took it immediately

Otabek refused to let go of Yura, he wasn't just going to let him follow a stranger to God knows where after all, but...

But he couldn't help feeling like... by not letting go of _Yura's_ hand, he was silently accepting the stranger's....

The stranger started to walk, Yura following immediately, with Otabek at his side

"This was our tree," he mused as they walked, from the base of the tree to the entrance of the woods

"It's _still_ our tree,"

Otabek looked up, away from the stranger, just long enough to see another man waiting a few paces into the woods

He had long silver hair, wore a simple but elegant suit from the same period that the dress was apparently from, and smiled as if he was watching his entire world come towards him

"Long, long ago," the stranger mused as they walked, beginning his story as Otabek watched children begin to appear around the silver-haired man, running and playing, hugging the man and perking up upon seeing the stranger's arrival

"I was in love... I'm still in love," the stranger said, glancing over his shoulder at Otabek

And in that moment he knew

He didn't know how, but.... he _knew_

Nothing would ever be the same after this

"Now, I'm giving you the chance to stay in love too.... for all of eternity, just like I did,"


End file.
